Recyclable liner for label assembly

ABSTRACT

In accordance some aspects of the present application, there is provided a label assembly, a release liner and methods of preparing label assemblies and release liners. In one aspect, a label assembly includes a top layer having a front side and a back side and an adhesive applied at the back side of the top layer. The label assembly also includes a silicone-treated liner contacting the adhesive to sandwich the adhesive between the top layer and the liner. The silicone-treated liner comprises paper that does not have a machine finish or gloss finish on a side of the paper that contacts the adhesive to allow at least a portion of the silicone in the silicone treatment to penetrate the paper.

FIELD

The present application relates to a label assembly and, moreparticularly, to a pressure-sensitive label having a recyclable linerand methods for manufacturing such liners and labels.

BACKGROUND

Pressure sensitive labels are commonly applied to various products toidentify information associated with the product. Such labels are usedin numerous environments to provide a variety of functions including,for example, identifying the source or destination of goods, identifyinga price associated with goods, identifying nutritional informationassociated with a food product, etc.

Typically, pressure sensitive labels include a top layer which isconfigured for being printed upon. The top layer is coated with adhesiveon a bottom side. The label may not be used immediately following itsmanufacture and so a release liner is placed on the other side of theadhesive to prevent the adhesive from unintentionally sticking to otheritems. The release liner is coated with a silicone release agent toallow the release liner to be easily removed from the adhesive when auser is ready to put the label to use.

Pressure sensitive labels are commonly manufactured using a machinefinished paper product or super calandered kraft (SCK) paper for therelease liner. That is, the paper is processed to provide a smoothsurface on at least one side of the paper. Silicone is then applied tothe finished side of the paper that will form the release liner. Thepaper's smooth surface prevents the silicone from soaking into thefibers of the paper and the silicone is effectively layered on top ofthe paper. That is, the smooth finish prevents the silicone frommigrating into the paper itself and so the silicone forms a layer on topof the paper. Then, an adhesive is attached to the label using atransfer coating process. More particularly, the adhesive is applied tothe silicone layer of the release liner. The release liner and theadhesive are then passed through a dryer which removes the water fromthe adhesive. The adhesive is then “transferred” to the back of the facesheet of the label itself. More particularly, the liner with theadhesive is laminated to the back of the face sheet by layering the facesheet on the exposed side of the adhesive. The face sheet is not treatedwith silicone and so the adhesive adheres better to the face sheet thanthe silicone treated liner and the adhesive effectively migrates to theback of the face sheet.

Typical municipal recycling facilities are not equipped to recyclerelease liners of the type described above. More particularly, thesilicone release agent may need to be scraped off the release liner topermit recycling. Since this process is difficult, used release linersare typically sent to the landfill.

While this problem has been recognized for some time, previous solutionsto this problem have been inadequate. More specifically, attempts tosolve this issue have led to the development of liner-less labels. Theselabels do not have a release liner and typically have a silicone releaseagent applied to the printable side of the top layer to allow the labelsto be released from the roll. The disadvantages to this approach arenumerous. For example, since the labels do not have a base layer (i.e. aliner), die cut shapes are not possible.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanyingdrawings which show example embodiments of the present application, andin which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a label assembly in accordance withexample embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the label assembly of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a top view of a die cut label assembly in accordance withexample embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a label assembly that includes a singlelabel in accordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure;and

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a label assembly inaccordance with example embodiments of the present disclosure.

Similar reference numerals may have been used in different figures todenote similar components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with the present application, there is provided a labelassembly. The label assembly includes a top layer having a front sideand a back side and an adhesive applied at the back side of the toplayer. The label assembly also includes a silicone-treated linercontacting the adhesive to sandwich the adhesive between the top layerand the liner. The silicone-treated liner includes paper that does nothave a machine finish or gloss finish on a side of the paper thatcontacts the adhesive to allow at least a portion of the silicone in thesilicone treatment to penetrate the paper.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of preparing a labelassembly. The method includes: forming a liner by applying a coat ofsilicone to a paper at a side of the paper that does not have a machinefinish or gloss finish; applying an adhesive directly to a top layer;and laminating the liner with the silicone to the top layer using theadhesive.

In yet another aspect, there is provided a release liner. The releaseliner includes paper having a first side that does not have a machinefinish or gloss finish and a silicone treatment applied to the firstside of the paper.

In yet another aspect, there is provided a method of preparing a liner.The method includes: applying a coat of silicone to a paper at a side ofthe paper that does not have a machine finish or gloss; and curing thesilicone.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. FIG. 1 shows a perspectiveview of a label assembly 100 and FIG. 2 shows a side view of the labelassembly 100. The label assembly 100 includes a plurality of pressuresensitive labels 110. The label assembly 100 includes a top layer 102.In the example illustrated, the top layer 102 is a label sheet whichincludes a plurality of pressure-sensitive label regions, eachassociated with a separate label 110. More particularly, the examplelabel sheet includes nine label regions, each associated with a separatelabel 110. The number of labels provided on the label sheet may,however, be different in other embodiments.

The top layer 102 has a front side 104 and a back side opposite thefront side. The front side 104 may be configured for receiving a printedlayer, such as ink. Accordingly, the front side of the top layer 102 mayinclude indicia printed thereon. Such indicia may be, for example, agraphic or text, which may be printed using ink. For example, in someembodiments, a logo may be printed on the label. In some embodiments,pricing information, nutritional information (e.g., associated with afood product), shipping information (such as a recipient or sender'saddress), or other information may be printed on the front side 104 ofthe top layer 102. The back side, which is not shown in FIG. 1 or FIG.2, is parallel to the front side.

The label assembly 100 may, in at least some embodiments, be distributedas a blank label. That is, in some embodiments, the top layer 102 maynot have indicia printed thereon when the label is distributed; the toplayer 102 may be printed on or written on after manufacture (e.g. by anend user). The top layer 102 may also be referred to as a face sheet.

The top layer 102 is paper-based and may, for example, have a paperdensity between fifty and one hundred and fifty grams per square meter(GSM). In an example embodiment, the top layer 102 is constructed of 75GSM paper. The top layer 102 may be a film or plastic-based paper inother embodiments. In an embodiment, the top layer 102 is uncoatedpaper.

The label assembly 100 also includes an adhesive 106. In someembodiments, the adhesive is a repositionable adhesive. Therepositionable adhesive is a microsphere adhesive which allows forrepositioning of the label due to the use of small particles. Therepositionable adhesive is a low-tack pressure-sensitive adhesive. Forexample, in some embodiments the adhesive is one that will provide apeel adhesion of between 80 and 204 gms if it were case directly onto 1millimeter thickness polyester film and when tested on #304 stainlesssteel.

The adhesive may use particles (which may also be referred to asspheres) between 10 and 250 microns. In at least some embodiments, theadhesive may be of the type commonly used on Post-It™ notes. Theadhesive may be of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,691,140 whichwas filed Mar. 9, 1970 by Spencer Ferguson Silver and which isincorporated herein by reference.

The adhesive may, in other embodiments, be of another type. For example,the adhesive may be a permanent adhesive or a removable adhesive.

The adhesive is applied to the back side of the top layer 102 In atleast some embodiments, the adhesive 106 covers the entirety of the backside of the top layer 102. In at least some embodiments, the adhesive isapplied to the back side of the top layer 102. The application of theadhesive 106 may be performed, in at least some embodiments, using aroller. In an embodiment, each label 110 that is provided by the toplayer 102 has a back side that is entirely coated by the adhesive suchthat all portions of the back side are sticky. That is, the back side ofeach label region of the top layer directly contacts the adhesive 106.

In other example embodiments, the adhesive may not coat the entirety ofthe back side of the top layer 102. Instead, the adhesive may only coata portion of the back side of the top layer 102; for example, the backside may be pattern coated, in some embodiments.

The label assembly also includes a release liner 108, which willgenerally be referred to as a liner 108 or a silicone-treated linerherein. The liner 108 directly contacts the adhesive 106 at a side ofthe adhesive that is opposite the side that contacts the top layer 102.The liner contacts the entirety of a side of the adhesive. Accordingly,the liner 108 effectively sandwiches the adhesive between the top layerand the liner; the adhesive acts as a middle layer and the liner 108acts as a bottom layer. The adhesive 106 and the liner 108 are the onlytwo layers that are below the top layer 102; the adhesive 106 is theonly layer between the liner 108 and the top layer 102.

The liner 108 includes silicone to impart release from the adhesive 106.The silicone is applied to the side of the liner that is to contact theadhesive 106. The release liner 108 is specially treated with siliconeto allow the liner 108 to be recycled after use. In some embodiments,this silicone is applied at a coat weight that is significantly lessthan the coat weight of traditional silicone-coated release liners. Forexample, typical silicone release liners use a silicone coat weight ofapproximately 1.0 to 1.2 lb/ream (all example coat weights recitedherein are provided as measured at a treatment surface, which is thesurface of the liner that contacts the adhesive, using an Oxford X-raycoating weight tester or the like reading down to fifty microns into thepaper on a super calendered kraft (SCK) setting). In contrast, in atleast some embodiments, the coat weight of the silicone in the releaseliner 108 used in accordance with the examples described herein is lessthan 0.5 lb/ream (as measured at the treatment surface). In someembodiments, the coat weight of the silicone may be less than 0.3lb/ream.

The coat weight of the silicone is sufficient to provide adequaterelease capabilities. It has been found that silicone coat weights aslow as 0.22 lb/ream (as measured at the treatment surface) can providesufficient release capabilities when the adhesive is a low tackadhesive. In some embodiments and with some adhesives, a coat weight of0.151b/ream (as measured at the treatment surface) may providesufficient release from the adhesive. Accordingly, in some embodiments,the coat weight of the silicone is 0.15 lb/ream or greater

The liner 108 is a paper-based liner. That is, the liner 108 isconstructed of paper, allowing for easy recycling of the liner 108. Theliner has a paper density sufficient to allow the liner 108 to beremoved without tearing. In at least some embodiments, the liner isconstructed of a paper having a paper density greater between 50 and 150grams per square meter. In one embodiment, uncoated 75 GSM paper isused.

In at least some embodiments, unlike traditional silicone-releaseliners, the paper used for the liner 108 is not specially treated at theside of the paper where the silicone is applied (i.e., at the side ofthe paper which will contact the adhesive) to prevent penetration ofsilicone into the paper. More specifically, traditional silicone releaseliners use a machine finish or gloss finish on the side of the paperthat contacts the adhesive so that the silicone does not penetrate thepaper but rather rests on the surface of the paper. In contrast, theliner of the present application uses a paper that has a treatmentsurface which does not have a machine finish or gloss finish so that atleast a portion of the silicone in the silicone treatment penetrates thepaper. That is, the surface of the paper at which the silicone treatmentis applied in the present application may not have a side that has beenfinished to be smooth. That is, the silicone of the liner 108 is appliedat a surface of the paper which is porous since the surface has not beenmachine finished. In some embodiments, the paper may be an otherwise(i.e., apart from the silicone coating) uncoated paper. By way ofexample, the paper may be bond paper (e.g., standard copy paper) ornewsprint paper. Bond paper is a high quality durable writing papersimilar to bank paper but having a weight greater than 50 g/m². By usingsuch paper, the silicone is absorbed into the liner 108 and bonds withthe fibers in the paper. That is, since the silicone (which is appliedto the paper in liquid form) is not applied to a surface which has beenfinished with a smooth, glossy finish (as is done with traditionaltechniques), the silicone is absorbed into the paper rather than layeredon top of the paper. The resulting liner 108 looks and feels likeordinary paper and it is difficult to distinguish the liner 108 from anordinary piece of paper. As a result, a recycling facility processingthe liner 108 can easily determine that the liner 108 is one that can berecycled. This can help to prevent a recycling depot from erroneouslycategorizing the liner 108 as a non-recyclable during sorting.

A liner 108 of the type described herein has been found to be recyclableusing ordinary paper recycling techniques. That is, unlike traditionalsilicone-coated liners, the liner can be recycled without specialhandling precautions. For example, as noted above, the silicone ontraditional silicone-coated liners is sometimes scraped from such linersso that they can be recycled. In contrast, the liner of the presentapplication does not need such processing.

The liner 108 has an external side (i.e., bottom side) opposite the sideof the liner that contacts the adhesive. The external side is alsouncoated in an embodiment and does not contact any adhesive. In someembodiments, the label assembly may be provided on a roll, in which casethe external side of the liner contacts the top layer of another portionof the roll.

The liner 108 is a single-layer liner.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the top layer 102 is butt cut toproduce a plurality of butt-cut labels 110. Butt cut labels have no gapbetween them and have square-corners. In at least some embodiments, thelabel assembly 100 may be perforated to allow the labels to beseparated. More particularly, the liner 108 may be perforated at regionswhich demarcate the labels. That is, the perforations may separate onelabel 110 from another.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a top view of an alternate label assembly isillustrated. The label assembly of FIG. 3 has similar construction tothat in FIGS. 1 and 2, except that the top layer 102 is die cut insteadof being butt cut. Die cut labels 110 may have rounded corners and alsohave spacing between each label 110. That is, there is a gap separatingone label 110 from another. Like the butt cut label assembly, the diecut label assembly may also include perforations separating one label110 from another. The perforations may be provided midway between thelabels (i.e., between midway between ends of each gap separating thelabels).

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the label assembly 100 may be providedin the form of a flat sheet. The flat sheet may, for example, beconfigured for insertion within a sheet-feed printer. For example, theflat sheet may be 8.5″×11″, or another standard paper size. In suchembodiments, the label assembly 100 may include a plurality of labels.In other embodiments, the label assembly 100 may be provided in the formof a roll. For example, the roll of labels may be configured forinsertion within a printer that is adapted to receive a roll. Forexample, the labels may be scale labels that are used in a scaleprinter, such as a deli scale printer. A scale printer is a printer thatis connected to a scale to allow for customized printing based on theweight measured at the scale.

Referring now to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, the label assembly mayinclude only a single label. More particularly, a label assembly havinga top layer 102 that includes a single label 110 may be provided. Thetop layer 102 contacts the adhesive 108 as described above and the liner108 contacts the other side of the adhesive as also described above.

The labels 110 that are described herein may be applied to a package byattaching the label to the body of the package. For example, the labelmay be applied to a box, plastic wrap, Styrofoam™, deli wrapping paper,etc. More particularly, to apply the label to the package body, theliner 108 is removed from the label 110 to expose the adhesive and thelabel 110 is applied to the package body using the adhesive. In usingthe label in this way, a package having a label of the type describedherein is provided. For example, the label includes a top layer having afront side and a back side and a repositionable adhesive covering theentirety of the back side of the top layer. The label is applied to thepackage body such that the package body directly contacts therepositionable adhesive to sandwich the repositionable adhesive betweenthe top layer and the package body.

Notably, traditional label manufacturing techniques are not well-suitedfor manufacturing a label 110 or liner 108 having at least some of thefeatures described herein. As described in the background section above,traditional techniques use paper that has been manufactured to have afinish that prevents liquid from being absorbed into the paper. Forexample, traditional techniques may use a paper that has a smooth,machine finished surface. This is used, at least in part, to prevent theadhesive, which is applied as a liquid to the liner as part of thetransfer coating process, from soaking into the liner. Since the machinefinish also prevents absorption of the silicone, the silicone is layeredon the paper forming the liner when the liner is manufactured usingtraditional techniques. Recycling facilities typically identify suchlayering during sorting and sort the products containing the layer ofsilicone as non-recyclables.

A method 500 for manufacturing a label assembly (and a liner) will nowbe described with reference to FIG. 5, which illustrates a flowchart ofthe method 500.

At operation 502, a liner 108 is formed by coating a paper withsilicone. In at least some embodiments, the silicone is applied at acoat weight of less than 0.5 lb/ream. In some embodiments, the coatweight of the silicone may be less than 0.3 lb/ream. In someembodiments, the coat weight may be greater than 0.15 lb/ream. In someembodiments, the coat weight of silicone may be approximately 0.22lb/ream.

The paper may be of sufficient density to prevent tearing of the liner108 during removal. In at least some embodiments, the liner isconstructed of a paper having a paper density between 50 and 150 gramsper square meter. In one embodiment, uncoated 75 GSM paper is used.

The silicone is applied to a surface of the paper that is not processedto have a machine finish or gloss. For example, the silicone may beapplied to a side/surface that is porous, having an absorbency similarto standard copy paper. The surface that the silicone is applied to isnon-finished and non-glossy. In some embodiments, the paper that thesilicone is applied to is standard copy paper. The side of the paperthat the silicone is not applied to (i.e. the side that is opposite theside where the silicone is applied) may have a glossy finish, or may nothave a glossy finish. The silicone is, therefore, applied as a fibercoat directly to the fibers of the paper. That is, fibers of the paperare coated directly so that at least a portion of the silicone in thesilicone treatment/coat penetrates the paper.

The silicone may be applied to the paper in liquid form; for example,with a roller. In other embodiments, the silicone may be sprayed ontothe surface of the paper.

After the silicone is applied to the paper, it may be cured at operation504. For example, in some embodiments, the silicone is cured usingultraviolet (UV) lamps. In some embodiments, the silicone may be awater-based silicone which is cured by drying the silicone using adryer. Other curing or drying techniques may be used in otherembodiments.

After the silicone is cured at operation 504, the method may end if thesilicone-treated liner is to be the end product of the method 500 or itmay continue at operation 506 if a label assembly is to be the endproduct of the method 500.

At operation 506, an adhesive 106 is applied directly to the bottom ofthe top layer 102. That is, the adhesive 106 is applied directly to theface sheet of the label 110. In contrast to traditional techniques, themethod 500 of FIG. 5 does not rely upon a transfer coating process toapply the adhesive 106 to the label 110. Rather, the adhesive 106 isapplied directly to the label. For example, the adhesive may be appliedto the top layer 102 of the label with a roller or sprayer.

The top layer 102 may be of the type described above and the adhesivemay also be of the type described above.

While FIG. 5 illustrates the application of the adhesive 106 to the toplayer 102 as occurring after the paper is coated with silicone (atoperation 502), in practice, the ordering of these steps may bedifferent. In some embodiments, these steps may be performed inparallel.

The adhesive may be applied in liquid form and, at operation 508, thetop layer 102 and the adhesive 106 are passed through a dryer to removemoisture from the adhesive.

At operation 510, the top layer 102 is laminated to the liner 108. Moreparticularly, the adhesive provided on the top layer is brought intocontact with the liner 108, causing the liner 108 to adhere to the toplayer using the adhesive. Since the liner 108 has been treated withsilicone, it can easily be removed from the top layer and adhesive. Theside of the liner 108 that has been coated with silicone is the sidethat is brought into contact with the adhesive. Thus, the side of theliner 108 that contacts the adhesive does not have a machine finish orgloss.

In some embodiments, after lamination further operations may beperformed to further process the label assembly. For example, the labelassembly may be further processed by cutting the top layer into aplurality of regions, each associated with a separate label. The cuttingmay include die cutting or butt cutting or sheeting. Sheeting producesrectangular labels with square corners that are sheeted individually.

Furthermore, in at least some embodiments, the liner may be perforatedto create a plurality of regions, each associated with a separate label.

While the embodiments described herein have generally describedpaper-based top layers 102, in other embodiments, the top layer 102 maybe polyethylene terephthalate (PET) based or may be constructed of otherfilms and coated papers of various thicknesses. For example, in someembodiments, the top layer 102 may be PET-based to allow for improvedperformance in wet environments (e.g., where the label is to be appliedto a bottle).

Certain adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments canbe made. Therefore, the above discussed embodiments are considered to beillustrative and not restrictive.

1. A label assembly comprising: a top layer having a front side and aback side; an adhesive applied at the back side of the top layer; and asilicone-treated liner contacting the adhesive to sandwich the adhesivebetween the top layer and the silicone-treated liner, wherein thesilicone-treated liner comprises paper that does not have a machinefinish or gloss finish on a side of the paper that contacts the adhesiveto allow at least a portion of the silicone to penetrate the paper andwherein the silicone-treated liner includes a silicone treatment appliedat the side of the paper that contacts the adhesive, the side of thepaper that contacts the adhesive being an otherwise uncoated side of thepaper.
 2. The label assembly of claim 1, wherein the paper has asilicone coat weight of 0.5 lb/ream or less measured at a surface of thesilicone-treated liner that contacts the adhesive.
 3. The label assemblyof claim 2, wherein the silicone coat weight is 0.3 lb/ream or lessmeasured at the surface of the silicone-treated liner that contacts theadhesive.
 4. The label assembly of claim 2, wherein the silicone coatweight is greater than 0.15 lb/ream measured at the surface of thesilicone-treated liner that contacts the adhesive.
 5. The label assemblyof claim 2, wherein the silicone coat weight is approximately 0.22lb/ream measured at the surface of the silicone-treated liner thatcontacts the adhesive.
 6. The label assembly of claim 1, wherein theadhesive is a permanent adhesive.
 7. The label assembly of claim 1,wherein the adhesive is a repositionable adhesive.
 8. The label assemblyof claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a removable adhesive.
 9. The labelassembly of claim 1, wherein the paper is bond paper.
 10. The labelassembly of claim 1, wherein the top layer is paper-based.
 11. The labelassembly of claim 10 wherein the silicone-treated liner is constructedof a paper having a paper density greater than or equal to fifty gramsper square meter.
 12. The label assembly of claim 1, wherein the toplayer is a label sheet having a plurality of label regions, eachassociated with a separate label, and wherein the adhesive contacts anentire back side of the plurality of label regions.
 13. (canceled) 14.(canceled)
 15. (canceled)
 16. The label assembly of claim 1, wherein theliner is a single layer liner.
 17. (canceled)
 18. (canceled)
 19. Amethod of preparing a label assembly, the method comprising: forming aliner by applying a coat of silicone to a paper at a side of the paperthat does not have a machine finish or gloss finish and is otherwiseuncoated; applying an adhesive directly to a top layer; and laminatingthe liner with the silicone to the top layer using the adhesive.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the paper has a silicone coat weight of 0.5lb/ream or less measured at a surface of the paper at which the siliconeis applied.
 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the silicone coat weightis 0.3 lb/ream or less measured at the surface of the paper at which thesilicone is applied.
 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the siliconecoat weight is greater than 0.15 lb/ream measured at the surface of thepaper at which the silicone is applied.
 23. The method of claim 20,wherein the silicone coat weight is approximately 0.22 lb/ream measuredat the surface of the paper at which the silicone is applied.
 24. Themethod of claim 19, wherein the adhesive is a permanent adhesive. 25.(canceled)
 26. (canceled)
 27. (canceled)
 28. (canceled)
 29. (canceled)30. (canceled)
 31. (canceled)
 32. (canceled)
 33. A method of preparing aliner for a label assembly, the method comprising: applying a coat ofsilicone to a paper at a side of the paper that does not have a machinefinish or gloss and is otherwise uncoated; and curing the silicone. 34.(canceled)
 35. (canceled)
 36. (canceled)
 37. (canceled)
 38. (canceled)39. (canceled)
 40. (canceled)
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 42. (canceled) 43.(canceled)
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